Monday, December 20, 2010

Neither Rag, Nor Rock

It's the holidays folks, so other than my regular story posts on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & this weeks "Gal" Friday selection, I am planning a light week.

This alternate cover for Avengers Prime #5 is drawn by the great Arthur Adams. Now just look at this stunning beauty and tell me that you wouldn't love to have Adams as the regular Thor interior artist? Back in the mid-1980s, Adams produced the art on a few X-Men annuals, and a New Mutants special edition that featured characters & elements from Thor. I've wanted Adams to offer his take on the Asgardians of the Marvel Universe ever since, and this little gem certainly helps assuage that yearning.

Art, you really have the knack for the Norse stuff. At least the Marvel Comics version!!

How it all began ....

In 1933, publishers at Eastern Color Press, intent to make better use of their printing equipment (which frequently sat idle between jobs), came up with the idea of printing an 8-page comic section that could be folded down from the large broadsheet to a smaller 9-inch by 12-inch format. The result was the first modern comic book. Containing reprints of newspaper comic strips, this experimental comic book titled "Funnies On Parade" was given away for free. It proved so popular that the following year Eastern published "Famous Funnies" and took the bold step of selling the comic for ten cents through chain stores. The enterprise was a smashing success and Eastern began churning out numerous reprints on a monthly basis. Other publishers, eager to get in on the profits, jumped on the bandwagon and the comic book industry was born!